Summary of Grades

Virginia scores above average in two of the four graded policy categories in Quality Counts.

The state receives an above-average grade on standards and accountability, with a strong showing on its academic standards, nearly all of which have been rated clear, specific, and grounded in content by the American Federation of Teachers. But there is room for improvement on measures of accountability and assessment. While the state has assessments aligned to standards in the core subjects, its tests rely heavily on multiple-choice items.

Virginia ranks near the top of the nation in teacher quality. One of only 15 states to require and finance mentoring for new teachers, it receives full credit for professional support and training. But it loses points on teacher assessments by not requiring veteran teachers to undergo performance assessments to earn advanced certification.

The state posts a below-average score in school climate. Despite high marks on school safety, the state does poorly on measures of school choice and autonomy. It lacks a public school open-enrollment program and receives a low rating for its charter school law from the Center for Education Reform.

The state’s low resource-equity grade stems from having one of the nation’s worst wealth-neutrality scores, indicating that the state’s wealthier districts receive considerably more per-pupil funding than its poorer districts do.